AN adventure club leader who turned his boys-only camp into a pervert's paradise has "ruined everyone's lives", the mother of one of his victims said today.

David Ferron - known as The Colonel - used his military-style centre in Middleton to secretly film the youths naked.

The 53-year-old divorcee, who won the trust of parents, compiled a photo album of the boys as they lay naked or near-naked and sleeping in their dormitory.

Police fear the father-of-two may have posted the pictures on the Internet for fellow paedophiles across the world.

Ferron faces jail after being found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of 34 charges of making or taking indecent photographs.

Today, the distraught mother of one of the boys Ferron photographed said he had betrayed her family's trust.

"When police rang to tell me what had happened and asked me to identify photos of my son I couldn't believe it.

"I said 'Dave Ferron wouldn't do that, you have got it wrong'. But that Friday I went to the police station and identified six pictures of my son naked. I couldn't believe what he had done. I trusted him. He took my son everywhere, he used to come into out house for drinks.

"He has ruined everyone's lives and then has left me to deal with it."

Ferron was suspended by the Scout Association last year after the Manchester Evening News revealed his adventure group was the subject of a major sex abuse probe.

Worried parents

After the M.E.N. story appeared, more than 50 worried families contacted a special police incident room.

Although Ferron's Phoenix Rangers group was not affiliated to the Scout movement, he had been a registered Scout leader since 1969.

Boys aged six to 13 were involved in the group and regularly went away on army-style camps.

Ferron was arrested in January last year after staff at a branch of Max Spielmann discovered one of Ferron's film had pictures of young boys in their boxer shorts.

Investigations led detectives to the centre in Dunford Street which had been run by Ferron for around 30 years.

Police swooped on the HQ of the 5th Phoenix Rangers group and removed a large quantity of photographs, computer equipment, a camera and documents.

Ferron had denied all charges, claiming some of the photos were "not indecent". He will have to sign the Sex Offender register and will be sentenced on August 16.